Combed cotton yarn

What is the reason for the rough feel of the yarn?

In the daily use of textile industry and hand-knit enthusiasts, rough yarn feel is a common problem. The rough-feeling yarn not only affects the comfort of clothing, but also causes inconvenience during weaving and sewing. To explore the reasons for the rough feel of the yarn, it is necessary to analyze it from multiple dimensions such as fiber raw materials, processing technology, post-treatment links, and storage and transportation.

1. Characteristics of fiber raw materials themselves

The inherent properties of different fiber raw materials are the basic factors that determine the feel of the yarn. Among natural fibers, hemp fibers such as flax and ramie have many longitudinal stripes and cross joints on the surface of the fibers, and the fibers are harder, so the yarns made of are relatively rough. Flax fiber contains more lignin and hemicellulose inside, which make the fiber more rigid and the yarn lacks a soft feeling. Even after fine processing, the hemp yarn still retains a certain rough texture, but this unique feel has become its style feature and is often used to create clothes with a natural and rough style.

Some natural fibers are affected by external factors during the growth or collection process, which will also lead to poor yarn feel. For example, cotton encounters drought, pests and diseases during its growth, and its fibers are insufficiently developed, shorter length and lower strength. The content of short fibers in the yarns made increases, and hairy feathers are easily generated on the surface, which makes the feel rough. If more impurities are mixed in during collection, or the wool fibers are uneven in thickness, it will also affect the smoothness and softness of the yarn.

Among chemical fibers, some conventional polyester and nylon fibers have a tight molecular structure and a smooth surface, but lack the softness and hygroscopicity of natural fibers, and the yarns made are relatively stiff in the hand. Especially ordinary chemical fiber yarns that have not been specially treated will give people a rough and uncomfortable feeling when they come into contact with the skin. In addition, if regenerated cellulose fibers such as viscose fibers are improperly controlled in production processes, the crystallinity and orientation of the fibers will also lead to rough feel of the yarn and even hardness.

2. The influence of processing technology

The spinning process plays a key role in the hand feel of the yarn. During the spinning process, the degree of carding of the fibers directly affects the yarn structure. If the colouring is insufficient, the fiber parallelism and straightness are poor, the fiber arrangement inside the yarn will be disordered, the surface will be uneven and the hand will feel rough. For example, in the combing process, due to the relatively low degree of combing, the yarn fibers made are loosely arranged and feel less delicate than the combed wool spinning yarn.

Twisting is also an important parameter that affects the feel of the yarn. The twist is too high, the fibers in the yarn are excessively twisted, the friction between the fibers increases, the yarn becomes stiff and the feel is rough. Although high twist can improve yarn strength and wear resistance, softness will be sacrificed; while too low twist will cause loose yarn structure and easy to bleed, which will also affect the feel. For example, high-twist cotton yarns used for denim have a relatively hard feel, while low-twist cotton yarns are soft but have poor wear resistance and are prone to wool.

In addition, the drafting process during spinning will also affect the feel of the yarn. If the drafting multiple is too large, it will cause the fiber to break and damage, increasing the hair and unevenness of the yarn surface; if the drafting multiple is too small, the fibers cannot be fully straightened and parallel, and the yarn structure is uneven, which will make the yarn feel worse.

3. Deficiencies in post-processing

The post-treatment links such as dyeing and finishing have an important impact on the feel of the yarn. During the dyeing process, poor quality of dyes and additives used, or improper dyeing process control, may damage the yarn fibers. For example, when dyeing at high temperature and high pressure, if the temperature is too high and the time is too long, the fibers will degrade, causing the yarn to become hard, brittle, and the feel will be rough. Some dyes and additives remain on the surface of the yarn, which will also change the surface performance of the yarn and affect the feel.

In the post-tidying process, soft finishing is a key step to improve the feel of the yarn. If the softener is selected improperly or the amount of use is insufficient, effective lubrication and soft film cannot be formed on the yarn surface, and the yarn feel is difficult to improve. In addition, some functional finishes, such as waterproof and stain-proof finishes, if the treatment process is unreasonable, will block the gaps in the yarn fibers, reduce the breathability and softness of the yarn, and make it feel rough.

4. Storage and transportation factors

During storage and transportation of yarn, if the environmental conditions are not suitable, it will also lead to poor hand feeling. Stored in a humid environment, the yarn is prone to moisture and mold, the fiber structure is damaged, creating a odor, and the feel becomes rough and stiff. When exposed to sunlight for a long time, the fibers in the yarn will age due to ultraviolet rays, decrease in strength, and become rough in the surface.

During transportation, the yarn is squeezed and rubbed, which can also damage its surface structure. For example, yarn rolls squeeze each other, which will cause yarn surface to bleed and deform; bumps and vibrations during transportation may cause the yarn to rub against packaging materials or other items, causing surface wear and affecting the feel.

The rough feel of the yarn is the result of the combined action of various factors such as fiber raw material characteristics, processing technology, post-processing links, and storage and transportation. After understanding these reasons, whether textile production companies optimize production processes or consumers purchase yarn, they can take more targeted measures to improve the quality and user experience of the yarn.